fiberglass touch up repair

Picked up a 17’ Oscoda in pretty good shape off ebay a few seasons ago. Not much previous canoe experience, but I really like the stability and swiftness for 2 (or 3) people fishing on lake. Anyhow my son & friends borrowed it for lake camping in Adirondacks this past summer and put some deep scratches in the hull. Are there any recommended quick fixes? wax, fillers , etc.

it hurts to look at. Thanks, Larry

Gel coated?
Assuming the boat’s exterior is gel coated (most fiberglass canoes are) you can buy a polyester gel coat repair kit with pigments. You can fill in the scratches and gouges pretty well, but you will not get a close color match.

fiberglass repair
thanks. color is pretty faded maroon, so just filling and smoothing would be good.

This is what I am talking about
This type of product might do the trick for filling in fairly shallow gouges, scratches and chips:



http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=7897&familyName=Evercoat+Gel+Coat+Scratch+Patch



or you might need this type of kit (which includes catalyst) for filling in deeper defects:



http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=2997&familyName=Gelcoat+Repair+Kit



You might want to watch the video on that site as well.

gelcoat repair
thanks again. probably need the hd version as some of the scratches are more like gouges.

West epoxy.
I would get some west epoxy, colloidal silca(thickener), fill it in and sand it smooth. make sure to sand and clean first.



If you want to make the bottom harder and slicker. You can get graphite filler, mix up a batch of epoxy and paint the graphite filled epoxy on. It makes for a very hard, slick surface. It will add a little weight to the boat, but not enough to notice. It will cure to a black color.

Sand well- Mix up some two part…

– Last Updated: Feb-06-13 7:02 PM EST –

epoxy. (the type that comes in the small package with the two tubes that meter it out). It costs a few dollars at most hardware stores. Get the five minute stuff and as soon as you apply it mask tape a piece of clear fairly stiff plastic like a notebook divider page or overhead projector film over it. the next day, peel the plastic and masking tape off, and the finish is as smooth as a baby's butt.
Give it a light sanding and spray it with a can of Valspar spray paint to match the color as close as possible.
Don't use Krylon. that stuff sucks.

Jack L

If it is a gel coat exterior…
then use gel coat to fix it. Jamestown gel coat kit is the fix. Don’t do the epoxy blends.